Slack take-up means for sleeve presses



Sept. 5, 1950 G. w. JOHNSON SLACK TAKE-UP MEANS FOR SLEEVE PRESSES Filed Jan. 16, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N y w w m m m m m m E W WU NE A E I R m G. 0N N 0 Sept. 5, 1950 G. w. JOHNSON SLACK TAKE-UP MEANS FOR SLEEVE PRESSES 2 SheetS-Sheet-Z Filed Jan. 16, 1947 2'2",'....w,,,,,,,,,,mmm \wnuuunnn, ///I//////////////////////'/'/' 20 M; l Em... ATTORNEYS N O m H m0 m f w NE G w E G Patented Sept. 5, 1950 1 SLACK TAKE-UP MEANS PRESSES FOR SLEEVE George W. Johnson, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 16, 1947, Serial No. 722,393

This invention relates to garment presses and more particularly to those presses used in commercial laundries for ironing or pressing the sleeves of mens negligee shirts. Such presses commonly embody cooperating head and bed members shaped to provide a pressing space of generally inverted V-form in cross section and 'bed member, and more especially those parts operative to expand its side wings.

Still another object is to provide improved means for automatically taking up the slack in the material of the sleeve being pressed, and especially a very simple means for this purpose and one which performs satisfactorily without special attention and which is not likely to get out of order in service.

Still another object is to provide improved control and operating means of the fluid pressure type, including safe control mechanism for both closing the press and for expanding the bed, as well as for maintaining pressure until released.

Further objects of the invention in part are obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represent one suitable embodiment of the invention, chosen solely for purposes of illustration and in no sense of limitation, Fig. l is a side or end elevation, some parts being broken away or in section, and including a schematic diagram of the fluid pressure control and operating mechanism, the press being shown open;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, also with some parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, on a larger scale, through the bed, buck or lower pressing member;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation right in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a similar section on the line 6-6, Fig. 3; and V Fig. '7 is another section on the line Fig, 3.

thereof from the 1 Claim. (01 38-12 The press shown in the drawings comprises a suitable frame including a base I0 and a table II supported on tubular posts l2. On supporting brackets I3 above the table is mounted a two armed lever 14, one arm I5-of which carries the hollow pressing head [6, heated by steam circulated through its chamber from a supply pipe H to a discharge pipe [8. The lower or pressing face [f the head-is of inverted V-form in cross section, or in end view, as seen in Fig. l, withthe apex rounded, so that the head is somewhat saddle shaped, as it were.

The other arm 20 of lever I4 is pivotally connected at 2| to the end of one of a pair of toggle links 22, 23, the other being pivoted at 24 in the frame and also having connected thereto at 25 the rod 26 of a fluid pressure servomotor 21 hinged in the frame at 28.

At 29 is shown the usual press opening tension spring, while 39 indicates conventionally a shock absorber or snubber of the air cylinder dash pot type, requiring no detailed description.

The purpose of motor cylinder 21 is to preliminarily advance or close the head l6 into contact with the lower buck or bed.

Bed ll supports a hollow goose neck pedestal 3i (Fig. 3) terminating in a solid end wall or plate 32 of generally triangular shape, to which is connected one end of the steam chest portion 33 ofthe bed, heating steam being circulated through the chest cavity by pipes 34, 35. A sheet metal housing 36 covers or closes the back and sides of the pedestal.

Chest33 supports the side pressing wings or members 31 of the bed and also a nose piece 38. The wings are hinged to the bed on a longitudinal hinge pin or rod 39. The wing members 31 are substantially longitudinally coextensive with the chest, extending on both sides of a cam receiving recess 40, and overlying the dependent side flanges 4| of the chest (Fig. 6), in the region beyond said recess. Continuous padding 42 covers both side members 31.

In a bearing tube 43 welded in the bed is journalled a longitudinal shaft 44 provided, in the cam space 40, with a roller cam assembly including block 45, rollers 46, 41, 48, and end plate 49. The rollers are supported on studs 50 extending from block to plate. This provides a sturdy, practically frictionless cam device, solidly fixed to the shaft and rotatable with it, the cam wor1 ing upon reversely inclined bearing plates 5| formed in or attached to the wings 31. These are of such size and shape as to produce uniform and sufficient expansive movement of the two 3 side wings by a quarter turn of the shaft. Spring 52 biases the wings toward each other.

At its outer end shaft 44 has fast therewith a slotted arm 53 (Figs. 3 and 1), in the slot of which works a pin on the upper arm of a lever 54, pivoted at 55 in the pedestal, the lower arm of which lever is pivoted to the piston rod 56 of a servomotor 51, hinged in the frame at 58.

It is at once apparent that a short expansive stroke of the piston of motor 51 produces a partial rotation of shaft 44, thus expanding side wing members 31.

The slack take up means is of very simple form, consisting of a one piece inflexible tube 69 of proper length, shape and weight. The tube shown, for the most part is straight, its straight end extending through and being freely movable, up and down, in a vertical slot iii of the pedestal. The other end of the tube has an up curved portion 62, to which is secured a slotted retaining member 63 (Fig, 7) oi plate for-m, having a rectangular vertically elongated slot or opening 6 3 through which extends the closely fitting square shank'or stem by means of which nose 38 is supported on the bed casting, being held in place there by set screws (i6.

Plate 63 extends into a. milled out cavity 6? of the nose, which cavity decreases in depth toward the bottom, so that with the cover plate 58 it forms a narrow slot at the bottom of the nose piece about the bottom edges of which the plate pivots as the rod moves up or down. Of course, the from and rear wall surfaces of the recess or cavity 63' diverge upwardly to permit such pivoting movement. This allows the rod as a whole to ireely accommodate itself to any of the varioussizes oi sleeves which are sleeved over the end of the bed for pressing but prevents any transverse rocking motion of the red. Thus it cannot climb with and follow the material of the sleeve. as the sleeve is turned on the bed to present dllierent partsfor pressing.

In other words, the rod can move freely, up and down, at both ends, and thus. apply its weight to straighten the lay of the sleeve, but

it cannot move sideways Fig- 1 illustrates the. fluid pressure control system- It includes three, valves 16,, ll, I2, the operlevers for which are mounted on the work table 13 as shown in Fig. 2. Valves it, llv are the two hand valves used to close the pressing head upon the bed, while valve i2. is the release or press opening valve.

When valves "is, ii are both opened, fluid pressure flows from the source by pipe i i, valve in, pipe T5, valve ii pipe valve i2, and pipe I? to motor 2?. This raises the motor piston, straightens the toggles, and swings. the. head to closed position with relation to. the bed. As the. motor piston advances, it simultaneously passes ports T8, T8 in the. cylinder wall, thus allowing pressure to flow by pipe St to. the supply end of cyli'nd'er T, producing a. power stroke of its piston and expansion or outward; movement of hinged wing, or pressing members 3i and applying, ironing pressure to that portion of a sleeve within the pressing area.

At the same time, flows by pipe. 8.5 to. diaphragm chamber '82, thusopening valve 8%, This is in a line or pipe.- tibypassi'ng the original air supply line and communicates with pipe 85,, connected to p e 83. inus air is. now admitted directly. from pipe 85. to motor 5?, and by pipe 88, hutiin the, re er direction, tomotcr so. that a closed or mantaining circuit is set up and the operator can release valves Iii, H, :but the pressure on the work continues in effect.

When the work has received sufficient pressure, release valve '52 is opened, allowing air to flow to exhaust from cylinder 21 through the exhaust port of valve 12. Diaphragm ll drops, valve 53 closes, cutting off further supply Of air. Spring 29 now becomes effective to open the press and return the piston of motor 2'! to its original position.

The short stroke of the piston of motor 57 allows the wings 3? to begin to retract before the chest rises ny appreciable amount, although in practice it has been found desirable t allow the hinged wings to exert a small amount of outward pressure while the head is leaving them, thus securing an added smoothing or ironing efiect. This is accomplished by properly proportioning the relative sizes of pipes or orifices or by otherwise accurately adjusting the rate of air flow at the proper points or places, as by needle valves not shown.

In the operation of this press, by sliding a sleeve over the bed, with the press open, rod 66 takes up the slack, its curved end portion 62 fittin closely into that part of the sleeve immediately behind the cufi. By closing the press the sleeve parts within the pressing area are pressed or ironed to smooth form. Then the press is opened and the sleeve is turned to presentits opposite ide, which is ironed in the same manner. Thus a sleeve is usually fully ironed in two lays. I

The mechanism as a whole is of simple form, ofi -ering no complexities requiring attention. of the operator, who can devote her entire attention to manipulation of the shirt and sleeve and the three control buttons. The finished work is of fine quality and the press is both durable and quick in operation.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

In combination in a sleeve press, an elongated pressing bed having. one end free, a hollow support for the other end thereof provided with a vertically extending narrow slot opening toward the free end. of the bed, and slack take-up means for cooperation with said. bed, comprising a rigid rod having a straight body-portion lying beneath the bed andsloping downwardly toward its support and extending through the slot therethe slot width being substantially the same as the red, the other end of the rod curving upwardly and being provided with a plate lying in a plane transverse to the length of the bed and extending upwardly into a recess of the free end of the bed, said recess having front and rear wall surfaces which diverge upwardly and permit ti -lting motion or the rod about a transverse said bed being provided with a stem extending longitudinally across saidrecess and having spaced opposed side faces lying in vertical planes, and said plate having an elongated vertical opening through which the stem extends, the width of said opening approximating the spacing between opposedvertical faces of the stem, Where by the slack take-up rod is confined against lateral. motion at 'both ends but is free for limited vertical motion at either end to" accommodate itself to-and take upthe slackin' a sleeve dressed onthe bed.

GEORGE JOHNSON.

(References on following page) 5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Boyuls Sept. 4, 1923 Harvey Sept. 11, 1937 Number 6 Name Date May Feb. 21, 1939 Wiegman July 29, 1941 Davis Apr. 6, 1943 Pearson Aug. 31, 1943 Burgard Oct. 5, 1943 Gayring Jan. 11, 1944 Steinberg Nov. 7, 1944 

